Tag Archives: Biggie Smalls

When you think of Rap or HipHop – what is the first thought that comes to mind? Kanye West? C@$h Money? Bling? Black dudes? Drugs? Slangin? Murder?

Growing up I was always attracted to HipHop. Unfortunately, HipHop in the 80s & 90s didn’t give me the best message being a 14 year old kid. Listening to artists like 2pac, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, The Nortorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls), & Bone Thugs encouraged a teenager like myself to: sleep with as many women as possible (the “love-em and leave-em” mentality), get rich & flaunt it (any way possible – mainly by selling drugs or making an album), disobey any type of authority figure (sometimes for no reason – just to do it), if someone gets in the way of your success – kill them, literally.

The message has been sold and sold to kids (some beginning as young as infants). When I think of HipHop, I now think of a genre of music that God as created so that we could worship the Lord Jesus with conviction and joy!

When I think of HipHop, I now think of how much of a joyful noise I could make singing along with men like Shai Linne, Lecrae, Tedashii, Trip Lee, Timothy Brindle, DJ Essence (esso), Flame, & Azriel. These young men God has used to take HipHop to a place that teaches me, convicts me, & allows me to rejoice in my Maker & Creator – the Lord Jesus Christ.

Where other “Christian” artists can be sung by other sects of “Christianity” – I call “non-Christianity”, these men make it clear what they believe and what Jesus they are glorifying.

Here is just a sample of lyrics that were written by my brother in Christ

Shai Linne – Jesus is Alive

Give praise to King Jesus, the blessed Son

victorious, glorious resurrected One

To Him belongs the power, glory and honor

Ascended where He sits at the right hand of the Father

At the cross He made atonement- His people He saved

After three days He was raised in defeat of the grave

By faith the elect behold Him, His scepter is golden

He must have been hot or slippery because death couldn’t hold Him

The spotlight is on today’s icons

In a thousand years, nobody will care- their light’s gone

But at that time, Christ will still shine bright

He’s not in the limelight- He IS the limelight

Criminal minded, you’ve been blinded

Looking for the body of Jesus? You won’t find it

We never lack spirit, letting you cats hear it

Because His tomb is empty like most secular rap lyrics

Oh how these lyrics feed my soul with amazing spiritual food. I hope that the music that you listen to will ultimately lead you to praise the Father and not some false savior like money, women, sex, drugs, or status. It seems like this is the way HipHop should be – HipHop redeemed.

You can pick up Shai Line’s albums at your local Christian bookstore. If they don’t carry – tell them to carry it. Or you can check him out on iTunes.